Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.
(Want to get this newsletter in your inbox? Here’s the sign-up.) Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday. 1. Senator Mitch McConnell denounced the Republican National Committee’s characterization of Jan.6 as “legitimate political discourse.” “We saw it happen,” McConnell said. “It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election, from one administration to the next.” The minority leader also pushed back hard on the R.N.C.’s censure of Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the House investigation of the Jan.6 attack. But House Republicans emerged from a closed-door meeting with a clear talking point: The party should focus on ensuring that Cheney does not win re-election. Kinzinger has announced his retirement. In other political news, Erik Prince, a former C.I.A. contractor who founded the private military firm Blackwater, helped raise money for a spy operation intended to infiltrate opponents of Donald Trump, according to documents obtained by The Times and interviews with people familiar with the plan. 2. Russia undercut Emmanuel Macron, the French President, during his shuttle diplomacy. The Kremlin spokesman rejected reports that Macron and President Vladimir Putin, who met for five hours yesterday, had reached any agreement to de-escalate the crisis over Russia’s military buildup at Ukraine’s border, suggesting that it was the U.S., not France, that had standing to negotiate such a deal. The statement came as Macron was in Kyiv to meet with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Here are the latest updates. With few compromises so far, the standoff could turn into a drawn-out and dangerous diplomatic slog. The Ukraine crisis is here to stay, our Moscow bureau chief writes in an analysis. 3. Trucker protests in Canada spread to a crucial international crossing. Heavy trucks and private vehicles blocked traffic on the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit, a vital link for the automobile industry, temporarily closing it this morning before traffic began moving through a secondary entrance. Around the world, the protests have become a rallying cry for far-right and anti-vaccine groups. In Australia and New Zealand, they have inspired copycats. In Canada, Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, is facing calls to be more forceful — like his father. 4. Four Democratic governors are rolling back mask mandates. Shortly after New Jersey’s governor, Philip Murphy, announced he would end school mask mandates in March, four other states — Connecticut, Delaware, California and Oregon — followed with similar decisions. The move to eliminate mask mandates in these states come as the number of cases has dipped to its lowest level since the Omicron variant touched off a wave in December.
